Wellington Philosophical Society. 343 



WELLINGTON PHILOSOPHICAL SOCIETY. 



Eight general meetings of the society (including the annual meeting) were 

 held during the year 1917, at which the following papers and addresses 

 were read :■ — (25th April) " Fly and Mosquito Larvicides," by Professor 

 H. B. Kirk ; tw Perpetual Calendars." by Professor D. M. Y. Sommerville : 

 (23rd May) "'Proportional Representation — a New Zealand Experience," 

 by the President, Mr. G. Hogben : (27th June) " The Development of 

 Hydro-electric Power in Canterbury," by Mr. L. Birks : (25th July) " The 

 Outline of New Zealand.'" by Dr. C. A. Cotton ; " An Experiment in the 

 Teaching of Fundamental Ideas in Geometry," by Miss P. Myers : (22nd 

 August) " Hydro-electric Development of Power in Tasmania," by Mr. 

 H. D. Cook : (26th September) " Crystal Analysis by means of X Rays," 

 by Professor H. Clark : (24th October) " Further Notes on New Zealand 

 Bird-song," by Mr. J. C. Andersen ; " The Botanical Districts of New Zea- 

 land." by Dr. L. Cockayne : " Notes on New Zealand Floristic Botany," 

 by Dr. L. Cockavne : (12th December) " Descriptions of New Zealand 

 Lepidoptera," by Mr. E. Meyrick (communicated by Mr. G. V. Hudson) ; 

 "* Is Earth-rotation the Cause of the Ocean Currents," by Mr. A. W. 

 Burrell (communicated by Dr. C. E. Adams) ; '' A Note on the Young 

 of Astraea heliotropium (Martyn)," by Miss M. K. Mestayer (communicated 

 by Mr. R. L. Mestayer) ; " The Star Test for Telescopic Mirrors/' by Mr. 

 T. Allison (communicated by Dr. C. E. Adams) ; " Comparisons between 

 the Tidal Predictions and Actuality at the Ports of Auckland and Welling- 

 ton," by Dr. C. E. Adams ; " Harmonic Analysis of Tidal Observations," 

 by Dr. C. E. Adams ; " Prediction of Tides," by Dr. C. E. Adams ; " Notes 

 on East Coast Earthquakes, 1914-1917," by Mr. G. Hogben ; " Physio- 

 graphy and Agriculture of the Coastal District of Western Wellington," by 

 Mr. A. H. Cockayne and Dr. C. A. Cotton : " Evidence of Warping on the 

 Eastern Side of the Port Nicholson Depression," by Dr. C. A. Cotton ; 

 " The Physiography of Rough Ridge, Otago," by Dr. C. A. Cotton. 



At the annual general meeting (24th October) the annual report and 

 balance-sheet were adopted. 



Abstract of Annual Report. 



New Zealand Standard or Mean Time. — The Council forwarded to the Government 

 a report drawn up by a committee giving reasons why New Zealand mean time should 

 be altered so as to be exactly twelve hours in advance of Greenwich civil mean time. 

 The Government replied that on account of the war it could not see its way to take 

 any action at present. Printed copies of the report have been distributed to the other 

 affiliated societies and to other bodies interested, and the matter will not be lost 

 sight of. 



The proposal originated in a resolution passed by the ( louncil on the 30th November. 

 IDlli, following the reading of a paper on " Daylight-saving " before the society by 

 .Mr. C. W. Adams. The reform was also supported by the National Efficiency Board. 



(leant for Research. — Advice was received from the New Zealand Institute that 

 a portion of the £2"><> voted by Parliament for research had no! been applied for. and 

 applications for grants therefrom were invited. < >n the recommendation of the Council, 

 grants in aid of out-of-pocket expenses were made in the following cases : (1) £50 to 

 Messrs. W. S. La Trobe and C. E. Adams for a tide-predicting machine, and (2) £25 to 

 Professor H. B. Kirk for an investigation of methods of killing mosquitoes and larvae. 



Science and Industry Committee. — On the 26th July, L916, a committee was appointed 

 by the society to report on the organization of scientific and industrial research and the 

 study of science within New Zealand. 



